To be a Servant Leader is to lead in a manner that seems counterintuitive, at first. You no longer lead from positional authority, command and control, or using a “hub & spoke” approach, where you lead as a conduit of information and work.
We face complex challenges. No one person has the answers. To solve them we must enlist the help of those closest to the challenge and those with the most at stake. You’ve hired or acquired good people willing to do good work. Don’t mess that up by micromanaging! Your role is to provide the vision and direction then serve and support your talented team as it executes that vision. To check yourself from slipping into non-servant leader behaviors follow these 3 Essentials of a Servant Leader.
A Servant Leader Equips
Before you can empower your team to execute, you must ensure they have the tools, information, and resources they need. These are the key items you must provide your team before they can successfully execute.
VISION & DIRECTION
A team must know where it is headed and why that road is the most important to take, at this time. Without it they are meandering along, usually not in the same direction. They are lost in a forest of ever-changing priorities and are at the mercy of the whims of unfocused urgency. As the leader, you must provide that vision and direction. Much like driving while looking at the horizon, a Servant Leader looks beyond the bumper in front and sees danger and opportunity. Explain why a particular detour is needed, so that the team understands your reasoning and can rally behind that course.
INFORMATION
As a leader you have access to information that your team does not have. This is why you can see the horizon and what’s ahead. A Servant Leader shares as much information with their teams as possible, in a timely fashion, so they too can see beyond their bumper and toward the road ahead. Trust your team with needed information, so they are able to make sound decisions.
TRAINING & LEARNING
You will need to ask your team to do more than they are currently capable of doing. That is one of your jobs as a leader – to continually build the capability of your people and your organization. A Servant Leader knows people well; their strengths, hopes, and opportunities. Align the work with these to the greatest degree you can and you will build deep trust with your team, while building their capabilities. Do this continuously, so your team will be ready when the next challenge pops up. If you wait until the challenge is in front of you, it may be too late.
A Servant Leader Empowers
Now that you’ve provided the essential tools for your team, they know where they are going, what they need to do, and are able to do it. Now your job is to get out of their way and let them execute. Often, this is where leaders fall short.
LET GO
As a Servant Leader, do not try to manage the details of the execution. If you do, you will disempower and demotivate your team. You also will be so tied up you will fail to do the most important job you have during the execution phase – supporting your team.
REMAIN CONNECTED
While you want to step aside and let your team execute, a Servant Leader must remain close to the team to provide support when needed. You may ask probing questions to help the team see obstacles that you can see or to get them to ask for assistance when needed. Too often, I see managers who say to their teams, “You’re empowered” and then walk away, leaving the team to struggle and churn unnecessarily. We want teams to feel safe enough to risk and try, yet we want them to have the support they need to be successful or to learn quickly from any failures. They can only do this, when you are connected to them and are willing to clear any system-level obstacles that the team does not have the power to solve.
A Servant Leader Encourages
Your last job as a Servant Leader is to encourage your team. All of the good work you have done equipping and empowering your team will be for naught if you don’t make the time to encourage them.
EXPRESS BELIEF
Your team will be trying out new approaches, making decisions you used to make, and making mistakes. They may not feel up to the mark and likely regress back into their comfort zones. Let them know that you believe in their abilities and good judgement. Do this often. Keep them pushing the limits of their comfort, letting them know that they will succeed and learn.
PICK ‘EM UP WHEN THEY’RE DOWN
Performing as a high-performing team is hard work. It takes a great deal of effort and attention to team dynamics in order to own the empowerment given. Mistakes will happen, tempers will flare, frustration will show. As a Servant Leader you play a significant role in warding off the discouragement that follows the inevitable setbacks. Be ready to replace that discouragement with authentic encouragement. Use questions to help the team identify what they should do differently and to learn at every opportunity. Celebrate the small accomplishments and the bigger accomplishments will follow.
SUMMARY
Being a Servant Leader is challenging and rewarding at the same time. It is a delicate balance of using your expertise and experience to set the team up for success and to support the team as they execute. It is a leadership endeavor well worth the effort. As you build your team’s capabilities and see the team and the people in it achieve more than they thought possible, you are positively impacting their lives and your business results. As you continue your leadership growth, remember these 3 Essentials of Servant Leadership and the positive impact they will have on you, your people, and your organization.